Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The issue the Deputy raises should no longer occur because we have a national emergency control centre. It is a single control centre over two sites, Tallaght and Ballyshannon. We have nine regional call centres which have been merged into the national centre, to ensure there is greater visibility and that the resources are deployed as effectively as possible. All emergency calls to the national ambulance service are now received and dispatched from the national emergency control centre. We also have the use of technology, such as digital radio, computer aided dispatch and mobile data terminals, to allow the NAS to use resources more effectively on a national basis, rather than in small geographical areas, using a single computer aided dispatch platform. I visited the centre recently to see how the service now has sight of all of the ambulances. If the Deputies are interested in seeing more of this or meeting with the NAS or visiting the centre, I will be happy to arrange it.

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